He sank down behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry.” He shouldn’t have been so blunt. She always acted so brave, it was easy to forget she wasn’t a part of his violent world.
“Do they ever kill the dragons for their blood?” She peered up at him, her face white as snow and just as cold.
At a loss for what to do, Luther hugged her. He sat back and dragged her onto his lap. “No, baby.” He kissed her temple. “They don’t kill them. That’s the thing. They need the beasts alive. The blood loses potency almost as soon as it is taken. They need it fresh from the source.”
Thinking she’d be relieved, he was shocked when she hit him. “Don’t call them that. They’re not beasts.”
Luther stilled and automatically tightened his hold. “Just how much do you know about dragons?” He hoped he was wrong, that she, like many, had a romanticized idea of what a dragon was.
“They’re beautiful,” she whispered. “Strong and kind.”
Jealousy rose up inside him like a firestorm. Her emotions were too real, too immediate not to come from experience. “And how would you know?”
He doubted a member of the Knights would see a dragon in such a way, but maybe he was mistaken. Had she played him for a fool? Was she really a member of the Knights? He’d thought he’d kept his fury in check, but she stilled and then pushed away.
“Let me up.”
He held her for another moment, not wanting to let her go, but as soon as he sensed her rising fear, he released her. She scrambled to her feet and hurried back into the bedroom. He slowly got to his feet and followed, a million questions running through his brain. How had she met a dragon? When?
She was curled up in bed with the covers pulled around her, and she was shaking like a leaf. No one was this good an actor. No matter what was going on with her, she was truly upset. This was a lot for anyone to handle. Victoria had been living with a great deal of stress for a very long time.
He approached her cautiously and held up his hands in front of him to assure her he was no threat, not to her. No matter what had happened in her past, he knew he could never hurt her.
“Whatever you know, it’s okay.” He wanted her to trust him, not fear him. He wanted her to turn to him when she was scared, not run. He just plain wanted her. Maybe it was crazy. No, scratch that. Considering the situation, it was pure insanity. But that didn’t change what he was feeling.
“You wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me,” he told her. He slowly eased back on the bed again. He leaned against the headboard and lifted her onto his lap, covers and all, needing to comfort her. He took the fact that she didn’t scream and try to get away as a good sign.
She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. “You’ll leave once you know. Everyone does.”
That sounds ominous. “Who left you, baby?” He ran his hand over her hair and snuggled her closer.
“My parents died when I was young, and I ended up in an orphanage.”
He couldn’t imagine that. His parents had loved him. He’d had a wonderful childhood filled with laughter and adventure. “I’m so sorry.”
She shrugged. “I don’t really remember them.”
“Did you live in foster homes?” She hadn’t been adopted. That would have been in her employment file, but there was no family listed at all. That was one of the main reasons Temple would have hired her. She was essentially alone in the world.
“No.” She lightly ran her fingers over his chest. He didn’t think she realized what she was doing, but he sure as hell did. “But I did have dreams.”
He stilled and thought back to the dreams he’d seemed to share with her. “Dreams?”
She nodded. “Visions, really. I can’t control them. Have no idea when they’re going to happen or where they’ll take me. All I know is that I end up as an observer, seeing a scene out of someone’s life, either from the present or near past. People don’t like to have you around when they find out you know things about them that you shouldn’t.”
Luther was both horrified and fascinated by her claim. “So you get glimpses into other people’s lives?” It was farfetched, but he believed her. He had to considering what he’d experienced. “You’ve had visions of me, of my life.”
“Yes.” She leaned back and stared up at him, her expression earnest. “But it’s different with you. I’m usually a ghost. For me, it’s like watching a recording of something that’s already happened or viewing a scene from the present. It’s like going to the movies. I’m never a part of it. Never.”
He caught her chin in his hand. “But you were part of mine.”
She frowned. “I know. And I don’t understand why.”
“Has it only been the two times?” He had to know.
Victoria’s face became the familiar blank slate he was used to seeing at work. Even though she was still sitting in his lap, he felt her withdrawing from him.
“Baby, I don’t mind that you’ve had visions of me.” How could he explain this to her and not scare her to death? “It’s just that I’ve done things in my life, things you don’t need to see.”
She blinked several times. “Oh.” She took a deep breath that seemed to steady her. “Only those two times. And I honestly can’t control it. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve seen a lot of things I wish I hadn’t. Best I can figure is it’s a combination of clairvoyance and spirit walking, or astral projection.”
Luther couldn’t imagine coping with such a talent, never knowing who or what you’d see when you closed your eyes to sleep. And knowing it was all real and true. And she’d been dealing with it since she was a child.
“I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say. “I rather enjoyed the ones we shared.”
That startled a laugh out of her. Luther felt his chest puff out with pleasure.
“Me, too,” she told him.
He tipped her head back and kissed her. He had to. Their lips barely met, their breath lingered. This time, it wasn’t a fantasy or a dream or whatever the proper term was. It wasn’t a stolen kiss where there was fear of discovery or no time to explore. They were alone in her hotel room and had at least two more hours until they had to get up.
He needed to find out what she knew about dragons. He may not care now, but he would later. For now, all he wanted was to taste her, to have the heat of her body against his bare skin.
He should leave and let her sleep. It was going to be a hell of a long day, and they’d both need their wits about them if they hoped to come out of this situation alive. He’d let her rest, just as soon as he’d kissed her again.
…
She’d told him about her talent, and he hadn’t bolted for the door. Not yet, at least. He didn’t seem to mind overly much that she’d seen into his life, shared some of his memories.
He pressed his lips more firmly against hers, and she sighed. Visions were one thing, but reality was so much better.
If anyone had told her a week ago she’d be curled up in a hotel bed with Luther Henderson and he’d be kissing her, she would have laughed in their face. That would have been as likely as her getting definitive proof that the Loch Ness monster and Big Foot were real. Totally out of the realm of possibility.
Yet, here she was.
She pressed her hand against his chest. It was firm beneath her palm. The reality of a half-naked Luther was almost overwhelming. She’d known he was fit, had seen it in her visions. But they were nothing compared to what she was experiencing. His shoulders were so incredibly wide. His arms were roped with muscle. And his abs were the kind most men could only wish for.
She wasn’t able to see all of him clearly because of the shadows, but that was okay. She could feel him, and he was very real.
He slid his tongue into her mouth in a bold stroke. She met him and returned the caress. The kiss made her warm from head to toe. She was hot and throbbing between her legs, the silky material of her nightgown almost too much against her engorged nipples. Th
e hard length of his erection pressed against her hip.
They really needed to talk more, or at least rest. But she didn’t want him to leave, didn’t want him to stop. She’d been alone for so long. Even something as casual as a hug—an everyday occurrence most people took for granted—was foreign in her world. She was starved for affection, and Luther seemed more than willing to give it.
When he finally eased back, they were both breathing heavily. He picked up the end of her braid and trailed the hair over her collarbone. Her core clenched hard. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes.
“Someday, I want to see your hair down. I want it flowing over my bare skin. I want to bury my fingers in it as I drive my cock into you over and over, until you scream my name with pleasure.”
Oh God. She wanted that, too.
She shuddered and gripped his biceps to keep from shoving him down and demanding he follow through on his promise. Now was not the time or the place. They might seem safe, but she knew someone could come to the door at any moment.
That was enough of a deterrent for her to gain control.
“So what do we do?” she asked.
He studied her for what seemed like a long time. “Now you tell me how you know about dragons.”
Chapter Ten
It had been too much to hope that Luther would forget about that. Yes, she’d seen them take blood from Sergei in her last vision about him, had seen them give it to his wife to heal her. But hearing Luther say it aloud, confirming that was what the Knight wanted her friend for, it had driven home the horror Sergei had been living under for all these years.
She’d momentarily forgotten what else she’d learned in her most recent dream about Sergei—that they needed him alive to keep his blood fresh. To control Sergei, they needed to keep Katherine alive, too. Although she’d never met the woman, she’d come to love and respect Sergei’s wife through her visions. For two decades, they’d been trapped and apart. All those years, Sergei had been bled so his captor and greedy men like him could live longer.
It couldn’t be allowed to continue.
But how much did she share with Luther? If he believed her, maybe he’d help her. Even though he worked for Temple, she couldn’t see him being okay with what was being done to her friend.
Or maybe she was grasping at straws.
“If you know what Mr. Temple and his Knight friends are doing, why are you working for them?” It was a question she should have asked before she kissed him.
She sensed the change in him. Although he was still holding her, he seemed more distant. “I have my reasons,” he told her.
Frustrated, she drilled her finger against his chest and met a wall of solid muscle. “Not good enough. If I tell you my secrets, you have to share yours with me.” It was only fair, and it would help her believe he truly was on her side.
“How about you tell me how you know about the Knights of the Dragon first?” He wrapped his hand around hers and stopped her from poking him.
It didn’t matter if he knew. She was already in way over her head. If Luther was only using her, she was dead anyway. It was almost a relief to be able to tell someone else after all these years.
“I had one of my dream visions the night after I interviewed with Mr. Temple for the job.”
“You heard him talk about the Knights?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Luther cupped her jaw and tilted her head back. “Why, baby? Why didn’t you run when you had the chance?”
Victoria took a deep breath and told him what she’d never told another living soul. “Because I’m afraid he and the Knights have a friend of mine.”
Luther tightened his fingers but stopped short of actually hurting her. “You have a dragon friend?”
She tried to nod but was unable to move her head. The sky was growing lighter, and she was able to see Luther more clearly. The expression in his eyes should have scared her, but strangely enough, it didn’t. A sense of peace and calm washed over her. If Luther believed her, he could help her find her friend.
“When I was a child at the orphanage, I used to walk in the woods behind the building.”
Luther released his hold on her face and ran his fingers over her hair in a tender gesture. “How old were you?”
“Ten.” She could still remember the sense of freedom she’d gotten from escaping alone in the woods. She’d liked being among the trees, watching the squirrels run madly up and down the branches, hearing the birds chatter and sing. The earthy scent of the moss and trees always made her feel at home.
“Tell me.”
“I wandered off the path, but I wasn’t afraid. I’d been exploring the woods for years.” They were her safe place.
“How in the hell was a ten-year-old allowed to run free in the woods by herself?”
He sounded so indignant on her behalf, she laughed. “I think they were glad to have me out of their hair for a few hours. I made the staff uncomfortable. Plus, I often snuck out. I was such a quiet child they never knew I was missing.”
He nuzzled her hair and kissed her temple. “I would have missed you.”
She hugged him and continued her story. “That fall day, I was enjoying the changing colors of the trees, the crisp air. I was humming a song one of the other kids had taught me when someone spoke.” She gave Luther a small smile. “I thought one of the staff had caught me and that I was in trouble.”
She turned her head, looked out the window, and stared at the hills in the distance. They were mostly in shadow, but she could see their outline against the sky.
“But it wasn’t someone from the orphanage, was it?”
“No. It was a beautiful creature with silver scales outlined in blue. The same blue as his eyes.” She looked up at Luther. “The color was the same as yours.” Then she laughed. “Or maybe I’m misremembering. It was so many years ago.”
“Blue eyes are common,” he reminded her.
“You’re right.” But they were remarkably the same.
“You saw a dragon?” he prompted.
She couldn’t tell if he believed her or not. “Yes. He was so big and powerful. He had these great wings and a long tail. He was just as I’d imagined a dragon should be, like something out of a storybook. And he talked to me. He asked me what I was doing out by myself. I sat on a fallen log and chatted with him for hours. I told him all about my life and my school work.” She laughed and felt heat climbing up her cheeks. “He was so kind, and I prattled on and on.”
“Was it only the one time you saw him?”
She shook her head. “No, he came back several days in a row. I managed to get away every afternoon after lessons and find him. He promised to come back the next day, to bring me a present, but he never showed. Not ever.” She pressed her hand against her heart and willed Luther to believe her. “I knew something happened to him. I knew it.”
Luther sighed. “You’ve been looking for him for years, haven’t you?”
“Yes. I’m not crazy though. I sometimes see him in my dreams. At least once a year.” It was a source of unending frustration that it wasn’t more often. “Enough to know he’s still alive but imprisoned. He’s being held by a member of the Knights of the Dragon.” She pressed her hand against his chest, wanting so badly for him to believe her. “The last time I saw him was just before I had my first dream vision of you.”
Luther growled. He actually growled.
“Why are you so upset?” she asked. She really didn’t understand what his problem was since he seemed to believe her about the dragon.
“Oh, I don’t know. You’re sitting half naked on my lap and talking about spending most of your life searching for another man.”
She tried to process the fact Luther was jealous of her friend. “I’m not half naked,” she blurted. Why that was important, she had no idea. She continued on, “And furthermore, my relationship with Sergei isn’t like that. He has a wife. They took her, too. Used her to trap him.”
Luther had
her flat on her back on the bed before she even realized he was moving. He loomed over her, trapping her with his large body. “Your friend’s name is Sergei?”
The hard look in Luther’s gaze was scaring her, but she didn’t back down. “Yes. And I plan on finding him and his wife. It’s why I took the job with Mr. Temple. I knew he was my one chance of maybe finding my friend. I’d hoped I’d be able to discover where he and his wife are.”
“And what did you plan to do then?” Luther leaned down until their noses were almost touching.
“I don’t know. Something. I can’t just leave them there. They’ve been imprisoned for twenty years. For what, so some guy can live longer, so he can get richer and more powerful. It’s not right.”
“You’re out of your mind. Even if you did somehow manage to find them, what would you do? There’s no way you could free them on your own.”
His easy dismissal of her quest, of what she’d dedicated the last two decades of her life to, sent a surge of anger through her. “Let me go.” She struggled, but he held her easily until finally she gave up trying.
“Settle down.” His expression was grim, his features harsh in the dim light.
She’d hoped he would understand, even applaud her loyalty. Guess that was too much to ask. “I’m not out of my mind,” she insisted. She ignored the fact he’d made several valid points, asking the same questions she’d asked herself over the years of searching.
Wasn’t like she could call the cops and ask for help if she discovered where her friend was being held.
Her chest was aching, so she took a deep breath to try to relieve the pressure. “Will you help me?” The plea came from the depths of her soul. She hadn’t asked anyone for help since she was a child. She’d learned people couldn’t be depended on to do what was right, only to do what was advantageous for them. For the first time, she was taking a risk and asking.
Luther held all her fragile hope in his hands. She hoped he didn’t crush it.
He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. “Looks like I don’t have a choice.”
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